Pistons Fire Coach Maurice Cheeks After 50 Games in Charge

By Christopher Elser -
Feb 10, 2014

The Detroit Pistons fired coach
Maurice Cheeks after the team struggled to a 21-29 record in his
first season with the National Basketball Association club.

“Our record does not reflect our talent and we simply need
a change,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “We
have not made the kind of progress that we should have over the
first half of the season. This is a young team and we knew there
would be growing pains, but we can be patient only as long as
there is progress.”

Cheeks was the club’s ninth coach since the 1999-2000
season. The former point guard also coached the Philadelphia
76ers and the Portland Trail Blazers. He played 15 seasons in
the NBA, including 11 with Philadelphia, where he won the title
in 1983.

The Pistons are in third place in the Central Division of
the NBA’s Eastern Conference, 18 games behind the Indiana
Pacers. Detroit had an 11-15 home record under Cheeks.